Wanganui Herald. [PUBLISHED DAILY.] THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 1895. THE NEW GOVERNOR OF VICTORIA.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 8448, 17 January 1895, Page 2

Wanganui Herald. [PUBLISHED DAILY.] THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 1895. THE NEW GOVERNOR OF VICTORIA.

The appointment o£ Governor of Victoria at one time carried with it the substantial salary of £15,000 a year, with residence and other advantages, but of late years the emolument has been reduced to £10,000, which, by the way, is that paid to the Governor-General of the Dominion of Canada, and the other day the Legislative Assembly cut down the vote for all future Governors to £5000 a year 1 . Victoria has not been very fortunate in the matter of Goj vernors, as with the exception of Sir ! Henry Loch it has as yet never had ! a really able man occupying the viceregal position. Its first Governor, Mr La Trobe, was a painstaking departmental Juan, who knew nothing of Statecraft and had little to do. His successor, Sir Charles Hotham, was a naval man with no qualifications for the office, and the consequences were, as might have been expected, disastrous ; one of them being the historical Ballarat riots, by which so many valuable lives were lost. Sir Henry Barkly was a great improvement on the irrascible Hotham, and kept things in a smooth groove, but another naval officer, Sir Charles Barling soon got them in a tangle again, and was mainly responsible for the " deadlock " difficulty, which deprived all servants of the State for over a year from drawing their pay. Lord Canterbury was an improvement, but failed to make his mark on the history of the colony over which he presided. When Sir Henry Loch assumed the reins the Victorians soon, awoke to the fact that they had a live Governor and not an ornamental figure-head ; but Sir Henry's services were wanted at the Oape.and he had to go to Africa, where he still remains, beset with many

difficulties. Lord Hopetoun has merely occupied the position as a member of the aristocracy lent to the Victorians on which to model their haut ton. He has been no help to the colony in its direst need, and will leave no mark behind him. In selecting Lord Brassey to occupy the position of Q-overnor or Victoria, Lord Eosebery doubtless ;ook many things into account, and picked upon Lord Brassey as the jest man at his disposal to fill so imimportant a position at bo critical a juncture. Of course it is not required of a Governor that he should really govern. His duty is to preBide over the Executive Council, composed mainly of responsible Ministers of the Crown, and to act as an umpire between the two branches of the Legislature when certain points crop up. _ He has also to watch over Imperial interests and to see that they are not neglected or in any way injured. Just now Victoria is in the " doldrums " of an exhausted financial cyclone, and in a badly battered condition; her crew are disheartened and her officers unequal to the task of navigating her safely into a quiet haven, where she can refit and be rendered seaworthy once more. Now Lord Brassey is just man to have on board at such a juncture, as his advice cannot fail to prove of great value if taken, as he has had much experience, and is a man of keen observation and shrewd and mature judgment. He has made a deep study of the burning question of the day, '• "Work and Wages," on which he has written a very able book, and was one of the first to move in the matter of instituting an inquiry by the House of Commons into the Labour laws in 1869. He has had much Parliamentary and departmental experience, having sat for many years in the House of Commons, and occupied various political posts. Of course his great forte is the navy, upon all matters in connection with which he is- an .undoubted authority, having devotedmany.yefirs and much money to the study.of the subject, and visited most par^ts of the' world in order to make himself thoroughly acquainted with the 1 coaling' stations and their defence's, as forming a most important integral pootion of the naval supremacy of the Empire. He is no stranger to the .people of Victoria, having visited that colony in 18S7 in his yacht the Sunbeam, the voyages of which formed the text of a very interesting book from the pen of his first wife, who accompanied him, and whose death so shortly after their return was ao widely regretted. Lord Brassey married a second time in 1890, the lady being a daughter of Viscount Maiden and grand-daughter of the Earl of Essex. The Victorians may congratulate themselves on securing such eligible occupants for Q-overnment House when Lord Hopetoun retires, and will no doubt find in Lord Brassey an able representative of Her . Majesty, upon whose sound judgment and great experience they may rely in all matters coming within the scope of his appointment.